Why Didn’t God Heal Nabeel Qureshi?

I simply do not know the answer to this question, nor can I fathom what it might be.

But I was heartbroken when I learned that Nabeel succumbed to cancer this weekend at age 34, leaving behind his wife and young daughter. My tears just kept coming after the news, even though I never had the opportunity to meet him personally.

For those who haven’t followed his story, Nabeel Qureshi was a Muslim-turned-Christian Apologist who authored the best-selling books Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity, Answering Jihad: A Better Way Forward, and No God But One: Allah or Jesus? A Former Muslim Investigates the Evidence for Islam and Christianity.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus tells the incredible story of Nabeel’s journey to Christ through an extraordinary set of investigations, dreams and visions. After committing to Jesus, Nabeel became a Christian apologist and spent the rest of his life writing and speaking, with a heart for bringing light to the Muslim world.

When you read his story, it is amazingly clear that God chose him for this important role.

But that clarity was also the reason so many people were shocked when he was diagnosed last year with stage 4 stomach cancer, which has a 5-year survival rate of 4 percent. The obvious question everyone wanted to ask was, “Why would God so clearly raise someone up with such an extraordinary testimony, only to let him die at this young age?”

Instead of accepting the grim outlook, however, Nabeel made it clear that he was not giving up. He started filming regular videos to document his treatment and reflect on faith during a difficult time. He prayed fervently for healing and strongly believed that healing would come, for the glory of God. Tens of thousands of people prayed for him and fasted over the months of his treatment. He attended healing services. In his videos, he recounted many experiences with people who told him they “heard a word” from God and that they knew he would be healed. On his Facebook page, thousands of people commented every time he posted a new video, and many of the comments were from people who said they, too, “knew” he was going to be healed.

I, like so many others, anxiously awaited each video in the hope of a miracle. After all, that same question from when he was diagnosed sat firmly planted in the back of my mind: Why would God so clearly raise someone up with such an extraordinary testimony, only to let him die at this young age?

Surely, this must be for the glory of God so He can perform a miracle and demonstrate to the Muslim world that Christianity is true!

But on Saturday, Nabeel died.

When Your Faith is Wounded

Many people have shared beautiful tributes to Nabeel’s life, and my Facebook feed is overflowing with posts proclaiming that Nabeel received ultimate healing. They are celebrating his life, and there is much to celebrate.

But I’m still crying.

To be honest, it’s a very complex mess of tears.

Tears for his wife and daughter, tears for the ministry he can’t continue, tears that many Christians were wrong about having “heard from God” that he would be healed, tears that Nabeel himself believed he would be healed but wasn’t, and tears for all those I’ve prayed for God to heal but who ended up dying anyway.

Though I don’t want to admit it, many of these are tears of disappointment in God. And though I really don’t want to admit it, there are some tears of bitterness in there too.

While I believe many people do experience modern-day miracles, I have not witnessed one myself despite praying for people to be healed on many occasions. At times like this, I find it incredibly hard to ask God for anything in prayer.

I don’t want to be let down again.

If God doesn’t answer the prayers of tens of thousands of people for Nabeel’s healing when there are SO many apparent reasons to do so, why should I bother to ask God for much smaller things—like for my kids to stop fighting so much?

Or so the disappointed logic goes.

You see, my faith has been wounded.

I know that’s not the response people expect from an apologist—someone who is supposed to be a strong defender of the faith. But perhaps that’s why I wanted to write this today.

Knowing a lot of answers to questions about subjects like God’s existence, the historical resurrection of Jesus, and the reliability of the Bible does not mean you never experience difficulties with faith. Everyone experiences difficulties, to varying degrees, in their spiritual journey. As such, if your faith is only rooted in the summation of your personal experiences, it can easily fall prey to fickle human emotion. Given the number of people with cancer for whom I’ve prayed in recent years, only to see them succumb to death anyway, it wouldn’t be too hard for me to never again pray for a person’s healing…if I gave in to my feelings.

I am extraordinarily grateful I can say during a difficult time, however, that the strength of my faith rests on far more than feelings. Because I have studied apologetics in depth, that understanding is an objective anchor I can reach for when my emotional ship has been rocked. This is precisely what we should want for our kids as well.

Apologetics isn’t just about dealing with skeptics.

It’s about dealing with life.

The fact that God didn’t heal Nabeel doesn’t change the fact that the evidence for God’s existence is extensive, that there is compelling historical evidence for the resurrection, or that there’s excellent reason to believe the Bible is God’s word. Those intellectual anchors hold me firm even when life is making me feel seasick.

So Why Didn’t God Heal Nabeel Qureshi?

On Saturday, the day that Nabeel passed away, I received the first printed copy of Talking with Your Kids about Godin the mail. A bit ironically, I opened it to the chapter on talking with kids about how we know God answers prayers. I thought I’d end this post by sharing the conclusion to the chapter. I needed to be reminded of this as much as anyone this weekend.

In the book, this is addressing a particular question on why God doesn’t heal amputees (a question often asked by skeptics). But I’m replacing the word amputees here with Nabeel in brackets. The same conclusion applies.

So what have we learned the Bible says? God answers prayers, but there are many reasons why he doesn’t answer all prayers in the way we’d like. The question of why God doesn’t heal [Nabeel Qureshi] is no different from numerous other questions we could ask: Why doesn’t God answer a prayer for a million dollars to instantly appear in a person’s front yard? Why doesn’t God answer a child’s prayer to fly like a bird? Why doesn’t God answer a prayer for a child’s burn wounds to heal immediately rather than gradually? If we know from the Bible that God doesn’t answer all prayers, we logically can’t look at the outcome of any particular prayer to determine whether God ever answers prayers. What we’re looking at may be one of many examples of requests that God, in his wisdom, does not grant.

A lack of certain prayer outcomes is not inconsistent with the Bible. What would be inconsistent with the Bible is if God never answered prayers.

But millions of people throughout history have claimed they’ve received answers to prayers. Today, according to Pew Research, almost one-third of Americans say their prayers result in “definite and specific answers from God” at least once a month, with almost one in five adults saying they receive direct answers to specific requests at least once a week. While a skeptic might claim every single one of these millions of people is mistaken every single time, that’s a belief worth being skeptical about.

There’s no way for Christians to prove God answers prayers, just as there’s no way for a skeptic to prove God doesn’t answer prayers. But if (1) there’s good reason to believe God exists (as we saw in part 1), (2) the Bible claims God answers some but not all prayers, and (3) it’s the overwhelming experience of Christians that God does, indeed, answer prayers on a regular basis, then the fact that God [didn’t] heal [Nabeel] has no logical bearing on the truth status of Christianity.

Yes, my faith has been wounded for a time. But not mortally so. Never mortally so. My conviction runs too deep.

Rest in peace, Nabeel. I do not understand now, but have no doubt I will someday.

Reader Interactions

Comments

I cannot put into words just how every word all through this article resonates exactly with my feelings and thoughts since Nabeel’s passing this past Saturday.
And yet I came to the same conclusion. Still tears and sadness I have the same firm belief that my salvation never did rest in my feelings.
Thank you for this article. It has reminded me and re-confirmed my thoughts. Although I am still so sad, and cannot see the Lord’s reasoning through this, I know He knows what’s best and the great reason behind it. In some way, this sorts out some sense into hoods passing, or at least settles it.
Thank you for sharing this.

It is heartbreaking . . . but God did answer our prayers. It may be in a way we didn’t expect. Nabeel’s suffering and pain is over. He stands in God’s glory and presence in complete wholeness. Nabeel’s life legacy inspires and convicts us to pursue God as he did. His love, devotion and faithfulness has left a great impact on the world, may we “go likwise, and do the same.”

I am one of those like you, deeply grieved by Nabeel’s passing to glory. I don’t understand it but this morning I saw a few things. He has been saved. He left with us seeds & thoughts that strengthens us to deeper relation to pursue God. I for one will consider pursuing theology & my calling as evangelist. Time & mortality works against us, but God in His wisdom will use us for whatever time we have. I am persuaded not to be a time waster. Ndebele has been a good role model for me as we all journey to pursue godliness & abiding in Jesus alone.

This was EXACTLY how I felt when I heard the news. Thank you so much for this article. I know He is God and I know Nabeel’s death won’t be in vain. It will produce a harvest. God’s word does not return to Him void. Nabeel spoke a lot of His words. I know I am sharing more of his teachings on social media and people are hearing his teachings more as this has happened. God loves his little daughter even more than Nabeel ever could. That is a hard thing to say judging by the video I saw of him with her and hearing the way he talked of her but God does love her more. He loves that little girl and her sweet mother more and deeper than any human could. He is their creator and father. He will take care of them. He will watch out for them through other Christians and friends. I shed tears for a brother I have never met. But I know he will be ok and so will his family. God will be glorified through all of this. I have no doubt about that.

Thank you for this post. Nabeel’s death has wounded my faith as well and I appreciate your honesty. Love Philip Yancey’s quote “Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse.” Clinging to that hope.

I appreciate you “keeping it real” and sharing your vulnerability.
I’m currently memorizing a verse for my Bible study: “God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” 2 Corinthians 1:4
Sharing your “wounded faith” has given me some comfort. Thank you!

I will say…if he hadn’t passed away, I would never have heard of him…seriously…the first article I ever read about him was after he passed away and my Facebook feed was flooded with his articles and news of his death…God knows what he’s doing…it’s hard…but if God had healed him, I would never have read about him and many others would most likely have never heard of him either…what a beautiful life he lead…

Same here. I had never heard of him until the news of his passing. I ordered his book which just arrived today and my soul is just crying out to read it. I know where I stand on my faith but I have a feeling reading his book is only going to bring me closer to God. But more importantly, I struggle with the fact that my entire immediate family are either not believers or, in the case of my mom, has been sucked into the realm of “progressive” Christianity and she questions the infallibility of the Bible and is also headed down the road to Universalism. It’s my prayer that after reading Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus I will be able to share it with my family and that the Holy Spirit will stir in their hearts through Nabeel’s words. There is no telling how much farther Nabeel’s message will reach and how many others will come to know the truth now that he is with our Father.

God rescued Nabeel from Islam. Had that not happened all the books and speeches and videos he made would not have been. The negative impact of that would have been profound.

No doubt David Wood’s ministry (answeringmuslims.com) was benefited by Nabeel’s book. I didn’t know at the time that he was the “David” in Nabeel’s life.

We are going to suffer in this life. It’s a promise.

Even if healed would that mean Nabeel would then live forever on earth? Of course not. When Lazarus was raised from the dead an important lesson was taught. But Lazarus eventually died. The lesson remains.

I remember the prayer outpouring over “Blue For Ben”. Thousands of “prayer warriors” prayed in earnest for this young child with a brain tumor to be healed. Niagara Falls was lit up in blue lights. The Peace Bridge to Canada was bathed in blue.

Ben died a horrible death.

But what if.

What if he had been miraculously healed? I suspect churches would be inundated with “sinners joining up” to be physically healed. It would not be about the relationship, it would be for healings.

But Jesus was healing people once, and at one point He stopped in order to go off on his own – and pray. Prayer was more important. Someone had to be the next person in line waiting to be healed, but He turned away. What did they think?

It isn’t about the healing. It’s about the lesson. Literally countless Muslims have turned to Jesus through Nabeel’s ministry. That number will continue to grow. That is not from Nabeel, it is from Jesus through Nabeel.

Nabeel died a Christian. His books and videos, and those who were impacted by him live on.

And us? We need to pray. Not every one of the apostle Paul’s prayers were answered. Not every one of Jesus’ prayers were answered (Just look at the division among his followers today). But if prayer didn’t matter it would not have been commended. We were not given an option. We are to “pray without ceasing”.

But what do we pray for? If we don’t pray that someone God needs to use will be healed will God just let them die? Is it really up to us? Are we to advise God on who to heal? If ours prayers for healing are always answered the way we want will anyone ever die?

I think our prayers are more about praying for comfort for those left behind. Pray that the church will step up and help with suffering family members. Pray that we will accept that His ways and thoughts are infinitely higher than ours, and therefore we ask Him to help us align ourselves with Him in accepting whatever the ultimate outcome. And it’s okay to ask for a miraculous healing. God CAN heal in that way.

Me. DiTullio-thank you. I love Jesus and have been in relationship with Him for many years, yet Nabeel’s death shook me. I wrestled with the Father this morning and resigned myself to Isaiah 55:8-9. And tonight I feel loved by my Father through your words. I am so grateful.

I’ve been wrestling with this myself, as I suspect all Christians do at some time or another. But one thing that keeps coming into my mind is that we need to be careful not to put God on the spot.

I keep thinking about Jesus telling us to go into the closet to pray, and how Jesus went off to pray alone. Maybe we need to have just a handful of mature Christians praying for us in private. That way if God heals they can just smile to themselves knowing they played a part. And if there is no healing there will not be a giant outcry from all those who did “sign up” to pray.

I really don’t know. And I certainly would not want to suggest that Nabeel was not healed because too many people were praying too publicly.

I’ve resigned myself to the notion that we all have a built in end date, but God can extend that date if it would not interfere with any other plans. So in that case, a handful of faithful Christians praying diligently may actually have an impact. Just don’t ask me to back this up with Scripture!

And again, if every prayer for healing and extending life was granted all the apostles would still be alive today! Few, if any, Christians are going to say, “Okay, I’m good with this now. I’m ready to go.” Yes, there might be some who are suffering horribly and to whom death would be welcome, but not too many Americans find themselves in that situation.

One other thing that I think about is what if Nabeel had been healed. Does that mean he would not die the next day? Would life be guaranteed for a week, a month, a year, a decade? Imagine if he was healed of his cancer and then died in a car accident on the way home. I think we really need to do some deeper thinking on all of this.

So I tend toward the idea that death will come when it does, but God CAN, if there is no reason not to, extend a life based on prayer. But that’s about the best I can come up with.

Natasha, thank you for your candidness and honesty. Perspective is the word that comes to mind when one encounters trials of this magnitude. It becomes a matter of what you will do with Gods word and its veracity. Do we truly believe this life is not the end of life, but only a glimpse of real life in Jesus.
As you know, we are in our own battle that calls on God to give us strength and wisdom for each day, sometimes each moment of each day, to walk in His ways. We pray for healing, but don’t make trite comments about “ultimate healing” when our loved ones are fighting to stay faithful to the Lord Jesus.
God calls me to keep his word in his perspective to battle the thoughts and fears that stand ready to flood my mind and destroy my faith.
Thank you again for writing such a personal, beautiful piece. My appreciation for you continues to grow in friendship and love. Thank you for being such a faithful sister. Hugs.

Ray – I was thinking of you as I read this post. I still remember the teaching you did years ago about our identity in Christ. “You won’t know who you are unless you know who HE is.” (I have thought about that line of yours for years and used it this week during some training time with my kids. 😊) And during times of trial, I have to rest in the facts, or evidence of who HE is, rather than how I’m feeling. Emotions make bad dictators. And Natasha, I agree that is so important to give our kids a firm foundation in Christ, so that during trials, even while struggling, they will be able to rest in Him.

It’s that last part that is key. Even to say that His ways are higher than our ways is putting a limit on God. The difference is infinite, and even that word is insufficient. There is no way for us to grasp God’s knowledge or wisdom. But we can absolutely rest assured that He has done, and always will do, the right thing. No one will get to heaven and be disappointed in something God did once we learn the full story. But we simply do not have access to that information in this existence.

Well said Dick DiTullio , Mike D’Virgilio, and others (and Natasha Crain). I have always struggled with that part of prayer. Prayer as a means of relationship is invaluable, but for anything other than our Perfect God’s will be done, I’ve given up on that (sort of). I struggle with it often. I’ve read the verse about the man who kept knocking on the door until the homeowner was so aggravated he let him in for bread (too lazy to look it up right now!). I still pray for people and and my own struggles, but always within the overarching trust in His will. I tried the path of following my will and finally learned in my approaching golden years that I don’t want to even look at that path (though I still do sometimes). I know that I know that I know that God is good and just. I know He’s not tallying up prayers and fastings on behalf of a petition, waiting to reach the magic number of one more prayer in order to heal or bestow or whatever. I watched some of Nabeel’s vlogs and was so saddened to know what he was facing and excitedly hopeful for a grand-God-glorifying healing. I do wish it had gone that way for our sakes and especially for the sake of his close friends and family. I know God is capable and it did seem like the perfect opportunity to reach so many. But as you and the Holy Bible have said, His ways are so far above our capability to understand. We can be blessed by the opportunity to draw near for comfort and wisdom as He sees fit. We need to rejoice when we receive these amazing gifts. Nabeel’s life was one of those amazing gifts to the world. I suspect his life’s impact is just beginning. I am praying for all those grieving the loss of this Christian man who loves Jesus so, and praying for those muslims who seek will find truth as Nabeel did. I have physically felt uplifted by the prayers of others (nothing else could explain it), so I do pray and I pray that we’ll see fruit from this painful event soon. Much love to all my brothers and sisters. May the Lord comfort you all as only He can do.

Thank you so much for writing this article. I have been struggling greatly with this, and I feel slightly ridiculous that it’s affecting me so much, when I have never met this man. His book and his testimony had a massive impact on my life at a time when I was feeling shaky in my faith and I followed Nabeel on Facebook after reading the book.
I felt sure God would heal him and I am so
Confused as to why he didn’t, but your words have really encouraged me. Sometimes it’s just good to know you’re not alone in your feelings. Thank you,
Christy x

This might sound weird, but each time I prayed for Nabeel before he passed away, I always had a feeling that God would take him away. This feeling would always come whenever I prayed for him to the point that I stopped praying for him. I had the feeling that God would take him away because of a future impending danger, which I’m not sure but I think has to do with him turning his back on the faith or something, which could do more harm to the Christian faith than his eventual death (if at all his death does any harm). But as I said, it was just a feeling I had when I prayed, I could be wrong. But whatever the reason is, we can trust that God knows better, sometimes his wisdom is foolishness to we men. Nabeel’s passing away is such a painful loss, I became deeply sad and troubled from the moment I heard the news on Saturday for the rest of the day. I trust that God in his infinite love and compassion would comfort his wife and daughter. Nabeel is gone and is with the Lord, but right now the least we owe his family is prayers for strength and comfort.

Emmanuel… That is the same sense my husband had about Nabeel…he said he felt that something very bad was planned against him and God took him home to spare him. Who knows, only God.. But it is a possibility.
The important thing is that he is eternally safe, and is very very alive and well!

I feel a deep sorrow at Nabeel’s passing – what a beautiful ministry he had. But, Sunday morning I looked at the empty cross, and realized Jesus’ ministry on earth was finished when He was 33. I’m sure we would have questioned why, and probably more so, not understanding how God could take Him so young. I now feel certain that Nabeel’s ministry will live on and bring many more to Christ, and I take great comfort in that. I also take comfort that God wanted Nabeel home with Him. Oh the mysteries that we do not know….

That is such an excellent point about Jesus dying at 33! His disciples were no doubt confused and upset that He was taken so young when, in their opinion, there was so much more that He could have accomplished. But look at what happened as a result!

Nabeel’s influence is far from over. His books will treasured for many years to come. And as a result of his untimely death many who may never have otherwise heard of him have come to learn of his ministry.

I felt the exact way you did. And I was too ashamed to even admit to myself. I have followed Nabeel story to the very end. I read all his books. I was sure God would heal him . I felt God wouldn’t leave Muslim to believe Nabeel was being punished for leaving Islam which by the way many Muslims believe that. I believe God wanted me to read this article because I’m not alone in these feelings. I remind myself even in his last days he did not give up on his faith. I thank you writing this article I really needed to read this. One day we will know why God took Nabeel at such a young age. Maybe many more will be saved even after his death . may God bless you

Hi Natasha, thank you for your honesty. A lot of us cried and a lot of us were wounded. I am a survivor of cancer, I was told I had a 17% chance of being alive in 5 years, which was 11 years ago. They operated and I am cancer free. I cried when I was diagnosed and I cried when I heard the Nabeel had died. I’ve also stepped out in faith and prayed a few times for people to be healed and also saw nothing happen. But I also saw God take my daughter from death’s door due to alcoholism and completely turn her around when she became a Christian, when I had all but given up. I too don’t know the answer but I have to trust His wisdom, His purposes and His love over what I see and know. Like Peter said to Jesus, “to whom shall we go? You have the words that give eternal life.” I trust, one day, you and I can rejoice in what has happened, on the other side. Blessings!

Thanks for this article. I appreciate that it didn’t answer the question. I liked the quote in the comments by Yancy, “Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse.” Also, and perhaps this is not the time, but I think we need to challenge people when they say they hear from God that healing will take place in the here and now. For one, it upsets so many emotions that the individual who is suffering, and the family, are going through.

I know this an unpopular view, and I don’t want to make light of anyone’s grief. I am sad for his family as well, and that he suffered as much as he did. Yet at the same time, he is in glory now and enjoying his reward.

But I strongly believe God did want to heal Nabeel. It was his will. James 5:14-16 is for the church. Everyone who came to Jesus for healing received healing, there was never one he sent away. And the majority of those he healed, he did so and remarked as so as a response to their faith. Note the Centurion’s servant, the woman with the issue of blood, Blind Bartimaeus, the two blind men and Capernaum, the Syro-Phoenician woman’s daughter, and I could go on and on. Having read Nabeel’s own words, he said he did not know what the will of the Lord is. He seemed very positive in God’s ability, and even somewhat certain that God wanted to but stated that he wasn’t sure what the will of God was for him.

Quoting his own Facebook feed, he said ” I do not profess to know the will of the Lord, but many of my close friends and confidants are convinced that this is a trial through which the Lord intends to bring me alive and refined. May His will be done, and may I invite you to seek Him in earnest, on your knees, fasting on my behalf, asking our Yahweh Rapha for healing in Jesus’ name.”

Now, I’m not omniscient, the secret things belong to the Lord. I’m just saying Nabeel was strongly convinced of God’s power while not being as convinced about what God wanted to do. The Leper in Mark said to Jesus “I believe you can heal me, if you want to” Jesus said “I do want to” and he healed him. I don’t think Nabeel is at all at fault here, or that he wasn’t a man of faith. But in this area, he seemed uncertain of God’s willingness because of how he was taught, and it seems how many of us have been taught.

Again, I know this is an unpopular view. But we have to believe that God is both able and willing to inherit what he promises. I have not always received healing in my own life, but I believe it’s because I have wavered back and forth and was never fully convinced it was mine. Maybe that is the case here, maybe it is not but I would rather believe that God is both loving and good and not so mysterious to allow this to happen for reasons beyond my ken. Doing so, my faith does not feel wounded, and neither do I feel less of Nabeel, but just that I want all to see from the gospels and James that healing by faith is possible, and does happen.

There is a man in my church who gave a testimony just recently. He was having alarming heart symptoms. He could barely walk without having to catch is breath and sit down. He had no energy, and he felt like he could just fall dead. I forget the exact details, but the doctors were going to have to operate on him. He finally got determined and believed that he had to believe he had receive (Mark 11:24) and he continued to stand his ground and speak of God’s power and love for him. His symptoms persisted, but he persisted even more and refused to be moved by what he felt. He was determined that it was done. He went in for the operation and told the doctor and said that he was going to find a surprise. Sure enough, the doctor opened him up, saw his heart was perfectly fine and was amazed. Even the doctor had to admit something miraculous had happened. I don’t think this happened because God wanted to heal him only, but that he also mixed faith with God’s power and willingness.

Anyway, again, I don’t know nor can I know the full scope of the situation. I will always admire Nabeel for not only his strong mind but loving heart, and how passionate he was for the Lord and for people coming to know the truth. And I’m so happy where he is now. But I still believe God wanted to heal him. Not plugging myself for the sake of self-promotion, but I’ve written a bit about healing on my blog several years ago and why I believe it’s God’s will. Feel free to read to understand my thoughts on this matter more. http://www.erikmanning.com/category/healing/

I can resonate with everything you just said, but with one exception: a miracle was performed. The fact that Nabeel came to faith was in itself a miracle. Chances are likely that Nabeel was going to die from this cancer regardless of whether he became a Christian or not. However, God in his infinite knowledge, knowing the number of days remaining for Nabeel, miraculously reached him and saved him before it was too late. God put the right people at the right time, at the righr place, and under the right circumstances to lead Nabeel to faith. Those who heard from God were right in a sense. Nabeel has been truly healed. He was on a path leading away from Christ, but now experiences eternal joy and bliss. As Jesus said about Lazarus, he is not dead. He is living. Those who believe in Christ never really die. We experience the same disappointment that Mary and Martha did with Lazarus’ death in John 11. But just like Lazarus, Nabeel will rise again. Why didn’t God heal Nabeel? I doubt we’ll know on this side of eternity. But knowing the things we do know about God helps us with the things we don’t know about him.

How do we know Nabeel was not healed. No, I am not referring to the healing when he enters heaven. See his vlog 37 on youtube. He received prayer and felt great. His stomach could have been healed, but was tender, as it had new cells. Nabeel ate some items the next day that had toxins, chemicals, etc.. I believe a healing can be lost since we reap what we sow, physically and spiritually. Not Nabeel’s fault, of course, since very few Christians speak against eating unhealthy food.

You know, I hadn’t thought of that. There were times that Nabeel did regain strength and did somewhat better. All healing on this side of eternity is temporary. Lazarus died again after being raised. Blind Bartimaeus eventually succumbed to something which caused his death. The only permanent healing that happens is that which occurs in heaven and with our future resurrected bodies.

I was more deeply affected by Nabeel’s death than I could ever have imagined. I don’t usually give into deep emotions, nor cry easily…but this time the tears wouldn’t stop rolling down my cheeks every time I thought of the fact that Nabeel wouldn’t be sharing his heart with us, or teaching us on video, or through his gifted communication in writing. The thought of Michelle and Ayah having to go on alone without him, was heart-wrenching to me. I didn’t want to make sense of it.
But gradually the thought grew in my mind and heart, that God will use and multiply Nabeel’s testimony because so many people are more keenly aware that the job is not finished.
We are his legacy. Those of us who have followed his passion for the Muslim world to know Christ must now multiply the message he shared. Like the loaves and fishes, we are charged with continuing to feed the Truth to people who are blinded by a false faith. God is raising up an even bigger army out of this. He always brings great things from what appears to be a disaster when we are obedient to His commands. Nabeel gave us the tools…now we go to work.
Soli Deo Gloria!
-Val-

I so, so, so appreciate such a brutally honest post. The disappointment, the bitterness,…

…”If God doesn’t answer the prayers of tens of thousands of people for Nabeel’s healing when there are SO many apparent reasons to do so, why should I bother to ask God for much smaller things—like for my kids to stop fighting so much?”…

AND YET-

…”The fact that God didn’t heal Nabeel doesn’t change the fact that the evidence for God’s existence is extensive, that there is compelling historical evidence for the resurrection, or that there’s excellent reason to believe the Bible is God’s word. Those intellectual anchors hold me firm even when life is making me feel seasick.”…

God knows and sees all things and loves each and every one of us the same. I believe God knew the fate Nabil faced and by His Grace, SAVED Nabil. It’s not always what we want in the here and now, but had God not lead him to the truth, Nabil would’ve perished eternally. Now he was raised up to heaven to live eternally with God our Father. He also was a living testimony, in that through his disease and suffering, he still held on to God’s promise. That is a true testimony.

What is the purpose of prayer? To get what we want?
How many kids get everything they ask for from their parents?
As a father to a child, more important than getting what we want when we ask, is
1. Having a father to ask.
2. Knowing our father only gives us what is good.
3. Knowing our father is with us, loves us, hears us and understands.
4. Finding our father is dependable when our circumstances or needs have changed and moved on.
What matters more to a child is not that they always get what they ask for, but that they have a relationship with a father they can ask, seek, trust and know.
As a parent we realise that our children need our relationship more than getting they things they want at any given time. Sometimes a child will want something, if they got they would put their trust, hope and security in the “getting” of that thing. They can become focused on the gift, rather than the giver. What is provided, rather than the source of provision. Sometimes my kids are gutted they cannot have what they desire. But they soon get over the disappointment knowing they are loved.
How much more does God want us to trust him, rather than the ability to engineer our circumstances? How much would our faith be in our desiring, asking, and getting, if God always gave us what we wanted?
For God to be able to do “more than we can ask or think,” means we have to trust him beyond what we can ask for, or imagine. He is bigger than our ability to comprehend, and understand. But if we always get what we ask for, we reduce God to our ability to ask and think. What a hindered life that would be!

He did heal Nabeel. His healing was ultimate. As the Scriptures say, precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. Also, to be absent from the body is to be present with the LORD and that our present suffering is nothing compared to the coming glory. Romans 8:28 tells us that all things are under the sovereign hand of the LORD and He is working all things for the good of those who love Him. Death is a momentary pause to those left on earth. The best is yet to come.

I wish as Christians, we would stop saying such untruthful things and accept the truth. God did not heal Nabeel. He died. Next time you or a loved one has a serious illness, will you pray for their “ultimate healing”? I don’t think so.

If Nabeel had been cured and lived, everyone would right now be praising God and proclaiming how great He is. So how does his death change that? Why are so many people questioning His decision? Yes, it is good to grieve. Jesus also grieved. But that shouldn’t change your faith or your opinion of God’s greatness and holiness. He has given you grace – what more could you ask for? Isn’t His grace enough? “I want eternal life, plus …..” God answers prayers based on all of the facts – facts that we have no access to. So I, too, will grieve Nabeel’s death, but my faith in God’s love and gratitude for His free gift of underserved grace remains strong.

As the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, death frees the soul from the ailing body. Wholeness and being who we were supposed to be (before the Fall of humanity) is culminated in the one relationship after death..that is the one with the Lord forever. As loving humans, the healing we seek is in this temporal life. We tend to see healing in the context of restoring the person to whom he was before the illness. That hope and our prayers give some relief but also these loving petitions are attempts to influence or direct God’s will.
Although we pray in the Lord’s prayer, “Thy will be done,” we still wonder when our will is not done by God as to why He acts the way He acts. We have not truly repented of ourselves.

Thank you for posting this article Natasha. (by the way, do you speak Russian? I do. Your name is a very common Russian name. So, I decided to ask.) Thank you very much for your blog.

I am also very sad about his passing. I have been blessed by his life and work. It doesn’t seem to make sense, but I have come to realize that God’s logic often doesn’t make sense until later or much later in life.

His death does remind me about the young Stephen in the Acts. He was just coming up and doing wonder-full things for the Lord. Then, Saul of Tarsus showed up and Stephen was slain. Was it in vain? No, because Stephen was sown to reap Paul, the amazing 4’11” giant of unshakable faith. We are benefitting so so so much from Paul’s letters!!!

Also, I would like to share a few videos and links to George Muller’s life. This man helps me understand how God truly works with us and answers prayer in a very real way, because that prayer is according to God’s will. His life prompted me to look again at a number of key verses regarding answers to prayer. May it encourage all of us to seek the Lord exactly according to His Word and receive His wonder-full answers.

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
John 14:13‭-‬14 KJV

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
John 15:7 KJV

And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
John 16:23‭-‬24 KJV

Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
1 John 3:21‭-‬23 KJV

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
1 John 5:14‭-‬15 KJV

For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Psalms 84:11 KJV

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
James 1:17 KJV

George Muller, a modern man in the 19th century, who took care of thousands of orphans in England and never asked for a penny from anyone throughout 40+ years of such ministry, but only prayed for the means and God always supplied the means on time. May it bless us to seek such a relationship with Jesus Christ to enjoy similar results and be a testimony to the world that God is still answering prayer today.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orphan_Houses,_Ashley_Down,_Bristol
The New Orphan Houses, Ashley Down, commonly known as the Muller Homes, were an orphanage in the district of Ashley Down, in the north of Bristol. They were built between 1849 and 1870 by the Prussian evangelist George Müller to show the world that God not only heard, but answered, prayer. The five Houses held 2,050 children at any one time and some 17,000 passed through their doors before the buildings were sold to Bristol City Council in 1958.

Here’s a wonder-full small excerpt from George Muller’s book “Answers to Prayer”:

HOW TO ASCERTAIN THE WILL OF GOD
1. I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people generally is just here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord’s will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.
2.–Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.
3.–I seek the Will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.
4.–Next I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God’s Will in connection with His Word and Spirit.
5.–I ask God in prayer to reveal His Will to me aright.
6.–Thus, through prayer to God, the study of the Word, and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly. In trivial matters, and in transactions involving most important issues, I have found this method always effective.

CHAPTER I
BEGINNING AND EARLY DAYS OF THE ORPHAN WORK.
“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”–1 Peter, i. 7.

Mr. George Müller, the founder of the New Orphan-Houses, Ashley Down, Bristol (institutions that have been for many years the greatest monuments of modern times to a prayer-answering God), gives in that most valuable and instructive book, “A Narrative of Some of the Lord’s Dealings with George Müller,” Vol. I.,
among other reasons for establishing an Orphan-House, the following:–
“Sometimes I found children of God tried in mind by the prospect of old age, when they might be unable to work any longer, and therefore were harassed by the fear of having to go into the poorhouse. If in such a case I pointed out to them, how their Heavenly Father has always helped those who put their trust in Him, they
might not, perhaps, always say, that times have changed; but yet it was evident enough, that God was not looked upon by them as the LIVING God. My spirit was oft times bowed down by this, and I longed to set something before the children of God, whereby they might see, that He does not forsake, even in our day,
those who rely upon Him.
“Another class of persons were brethren in business, who suffered in their souls, and brought guilt on their consciences, by carrying on their business, almost in the same way as unconverted persons do. The competition in trade, the bad times, the over-peopled country, were given as reasons why, if the business were carried on simply according to the word of God, it could not be expected to do well. Such a brother, perhaps, would express the wish, that he might be differently situated; but very rarely did I see that there was a stand made for God, that there was the holy determination to trust in the living God, and to depend on Him, in order that a good conscience might be maintained. To this class likewise I desired to show, by a visible proof, that God is unchangeably the same.
“Then there was another class of persons, individuals who were in professions in which they could not continue with a good conscience, or persons who were in an unscriptural position with reference to spiritual things; but both classes feared, on account of the consequences, to give up the profession in which they could not abide with God, or to leave their position, lest they should be thrown out of employment. My spirit longed to be instrumental in strengthening their faith, by giving them not only instances from the word of God, of His willingness and ability to help all those who rely upon Him, but to show them by proofs, that He is the same in our day. I well knew that the Word of God ought to be enough, and it was, by grace, enough, to me; but still, I considered that I ought to lend a helping hand to my brethren, if by any means, by this visible proof to the unchangeable faithfulness of the Lord, I might strengthen their hands in God; for I remembered what a great blessing my own soul had received through the Lord’s dealings with His servant A. H. Franke, who in dependence upon the living God alone, established an immense Orphan-House, which I had seen many times with my own eyes. I, therefore, judged myself bound to be the servant of the Church of God, in the particular point on which I had obtained mercy: namely, in being able to take God by His word and to rely upon it. All these exercises of my soul, which resulted from the fact that so many believers, with whom I became acquainted, were harassed and distressed in mind, or brought guilt on their consciences, on account of not trusting in the Lord; were used by God to awaken in my heart the desire of setting before the church at large, and before the world, a proof that He has not in the least changed; and this seemed to me best done, by the establishing of an Orphan-House. It needed to be something which could be seen, even by the natural eye.
Now, if I, a poor man, simply by prayer and faith, obtained without asking any individual, the means for establishing and carrying on an Orphan-House, there would be something which, with the Lord’s blessing, might be instrumental in strengthening the faith of the children of God, besides being a testimony to the
consciences of the unconverted, of the reality of the things of God. This, then, was the primary reason for establishing the Orphan-House. I certainly did from my heart desire to be used by God to benefit the bodies of poor children, bereaved of both parents, and seek in other respects, with the help of God, to do them good for
this life;–I also particularly longed to be used by God in getting the dear orphans trained up in the fear of God;–but still, the first and primary object of the work was (and still is:) that God might be magnified by the fact, that the orphans under my care are provided with all they need, only by prayer and faith without anyone
being asked by me or my fellow-laborers whereby it may be seen, that God is FAITHFUL STILL, and HEARS PRAYER STILL. That I was not mistaken, has been abundantly proved since November, 1835, both by the conversion of many sinners who have read the accounts, which have been published in connection with
this work, and also by the abundance of fruit that has followed in the hearts of the saints, for which from my inmost soul, I desire to be grateful to God, and the honor and glory of which not only is due to Him alone, but, which I, by His help, am enabled to ascribe to Him.”

“OPEN THY MOUTH WIDE.”
In the account written by Mr. Müller dated Jan. 16, 1836, respecting the Orphan-House intended to be established in Bristol in connection with the Scriptural Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad, we read:–
“When, of late, the thoughts of establishing an Orphan-House, in dependence upon the Lord, revived in my mind, during the first two weeks I only prayed that if it were of the Lord, he would bring it about, but if not that He graciously would be pleased to take all thoughts about it out of my mind. My uncertainty about
knowing the Lord’s mind did not arise from questioning whether it would be pleasing in His sight, that there should be an abode and Scriptural education provided for destitute fatherless and motherless children; but whether it were His will that I should be the instrument of setting such an object on foot, as my hands were already more than filled. My comfort, however, was, that, if it were His will, He would provide not merely the means, but also suitable individuals to take care of the children, so that my part of the work would take only such a portion of my time, as, considering the importance of the matter, I might give, notwithstanding my many other engagements. The whole of those two weeks I never asked the Lord for money or for persons to engage in the work.
“On December 5th, however, the subject of my prayer all at once became different. I was reading Psalm lxxxi., and was particularly struck, more than at any time before, with verse 10: “Open thy month wide, and I will fill it.” I thought a few moments about these words, and then was led to apply them to the case of the
Orphan-House. It struck me that I had never asked the Lord for anything concerning it, except to know His will, respecting its being established or not; and I then fell on my knees and opened my mouth wide, asking Him for much. I asked in submission to His will, and without fixing a time when He should answer my
petition. I prayed that He would give me a house, i. e., either as a loan, or that someone might be led to pay the rent for one, or that one might be given permanently for this object; further, I asked Him for £1000; and likewise for suitable individuals to take care of the children. Besides this, I have been since led to ask the Lord, to put into the hearts of His people to send me articles of furniture for the house, and some clothes for the children. When I was asking the petition, I was fully aware what I was doing, i. e., that I was asking for something which I had no natural prospect of obtaining from the brethren whom I know, but which was not too much for the Lord to grant.”
“December 10, 1835.–This morning I received a letter, in which a brother and sister wrote thus:–“We propose ourselves for the service of the intended Orphan-House, if you think us qualified for it; also to give up all the furniture, &c., which the Lord has given us, for its use; and to do this without receiving any salary whatever; believing that if it be the will of the Lord to employ us, He will supply all our needs, &c.”
“Dec. 13.–A brother was influenced this day to give 4s. per week, or £10 8s. yearly, as long as the Lord gives the means; 8s. was given by him as two weeks’ subscriptions. To-day a brother and sister offered themselves, with all their furniture, and all the provisions which they have in the house, if they can be usefully employed
in the concerns of the Orphan-House.”

I struggled with unanswered prayer for years and was greatly encouraged when I read Joni Eareckson Tada’s book, “A Step Further.” She wrote this book after a season of concerted prayer and fasting for healing. She was joined by thousands who lifted sincere prayers to God on her behalf. She was not healed and the book goes into her struggle with the outcome and insights into why God chose not to heal her. I highly recommend it. In fact, I think I’ll read it again.

I know we could look at it from the point of why didn’t God heal him but my approach is a little bit different. Could it be that Nabeel accomplished the purpose for which he was put on this earth? Had he remained a Muslim, he would have still developed cancer but the result would have been much different, he would have been lost for all eternity but he was saved and did a mighty work for God.

If we look at it in terms of eternity, this is not the end of Nabeel, he has only lost his body-and that is temporary, if you believe that we will receive glorified bodies. I remember the late pastor from the Bahamas, Myles Munroe always said you should die empty meaning you should not leave this planet until you have done everything God put you here on this planet to do and then leave. Once you accomplish your purpose, staying here is not necessary. It is more unfortunate when people die and never achieve their purpose or die without being saved.

Death is still part of the human experience but we know God has a plan to fix everything. Things are already in motion. Jesus died and rose again and we await His return and the promises that are connected to that second coming.

Sometimes some do not get healed but ultimately God is the one who knows why. Yes it is sad that Nabeel left behind a wife and children, but I know God is close to the brokenhearted and He will give them the grace to get through this. There is hope in spite of this once we choose to look at it in terms of eternity. Now that Nabeel is with Jesus should he be given the choice to return, I believe he would not want to leave.

Hearing the news of Nabeel’s death saddened me as well. The list of “why” questions are endless. However, there is something you wrote that I feel deserves further reflection. You mentioned how Nabeel went to many “healing services” liking for a miracle. You also mentioned that many prayed for Nabeel and claimed they heard God say he would be healed. These comments should trouble us and cause us to reflect deeply on the people who made such claims. More importantly, we should hold the pastors and elders of these churches accountable for allowing such false prophecies and pronouncements to be made. I pray that Nabeel’s wife did not take those false promises and prophecies seriously. Does God heal today? Absolutely. Why did he take Nabeel home? I don’t know. But what I do know is that God’s word, written in the 66 books of the Bible is completely sufficient. We aren’t promised physical healing this side of heaven. We aren’t promised a life without pain, but we can rest in the fact that Jesus Christ is our redeemer. His words can and will comfort us in the storm. But, we should also remember that if it’s not written in the 66 books of scripture, then God didn’t say it. Much damage has been caused by people claiming “God told me…” when he clearly did not.

I too prayed at least weekly for Nabeel since I learned about his diagnosis last year. The first thing I told my wife when I learned he’d died was, why are we always surprised by death? Even premature death, as Nabeel’s certainly was. One of the most comforting and profound verses in the Bible for me is the shortest (as mentioned in some comments here), “Jesus wept.” It seems crazy that Jesus would cry for his dead friend when he would raise him in minutes. But Jesus cried at the aberration that is death, at His creation marred by, as Paul says, the wages of sin. God promised Adam in Genesis two that if he ate, he would “surely die.” And so we do.

Strangely enough, death affirms my faith, even as it pisses me off. Me and God, we had some discussions on Sunday when I learned about Nabeel. The only worldview, however, that makes any sense of death is the Christian worldview. It explains something that is otherwise unexplainable and inscrutable. I’m always amazed every time I read through the Bible that God or his chosen instruments NEVER apologize for sin and death. After many years I’ve come to the conclusion that the reason for this is that God’s revelation to man is not to justify himself to us, but us to him. His revelation isn’t given to explain what we could never understand anyway, but to reveal to us a solution to the seemingly Rubik’s Cube of human existence.

We also note that throughout Scripture God’s covenant promises to His people are everywhere referred to as eternal, forever, everlasting, etc. It’s so easy, especially in our secularist age awash in the assumptions of materialism/naturalism (the material is all there is), with health and long life assured to most, to get sucked into thinking this is in fact our home. That we were created for this life, and not the forever one. It stinks that we have to cross the river of death to enter the promised life, but we have one who crossed before us and came back from the dead. RIP, Nebeel. We’ll see you soon.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” Psalm 24:1. Yahweh is the Creator. He is sovereign. If He wants to relocate one of His own, He has that prerogative. I don’t know why He took my 21 year old nephew who died from Hodgkins. David loved God and people with an astonishing maturity, but God took him. My sister and brother-in-law weathered this storm and remain faithful, though deeply wounded. They continue to serve the church with faithfulness.

God takes His children at the time when He sees they are MOST ready. Sure Heba saw Nabeel pain and struggle, he also waited on him till he converted from Islam, witnessed to the whole world about Him and then wanted to give him rest to be with Him eternally. It is put of His love that He took him early. Perhaps seomthing would have happened Ron naveel if he would have stayed longer on earth that would cause him to loose his eternity with Jesus. God is the most compassionate father and saw Nabeel journey and mission ending so he called him home. May the Lord give comfort and peace to his family!

Thank you for these great and honest words. I appreciate your letting readers walk through the grief with you as we have all dealt with these faith-shaking moments. In the words of our pastor in a recent sermon: “Just because God doesn’t heal one person, it doesn’t mean that He can’t heal. In the face of a difficult moment, you’re left with one question. I call it your “even if” moment. Even if God doesn’t (didn’t) heal someone, do I believe? Can I trust Him then? It’s hard to have faith in an idea, but do you have a relationship? That is where faith can be found during heartbreak.” It feels like we were let down or disappointed, but we were not abandoned. We are not alone. “He who began a good work in you (Nabeel) will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 Thank you again for the beautiful sentiment.

I believe God wants us to focus on the fact that He has offered us eternal life with Him filled with love and peace. Maybe part of the lesson to learn is that we need to not believe this life is the most important thing to preserve but our faith in Jesus is. Nabeel kept the faith, hoped for a miracle but was willing to accept his death. Nabeel should be an inspiration to us that we can have trust in God even in the worst one of circumstances for life, a painful death.

I have also been struggling with Nabeel s death. I have come to the conclusion that we will never know why God allowed this until we reach heaven. But I do not cry for the voice of God that many heard about Nabeel s healing. Because what they heard and I heard is from the Word of God. Do we know for sure like God does? No! But faith is believing in what can not be seen. So let’s not silence the voice of those who keep strong faith in His Word. Every sick and suffering person needs to hear an encouraging word and all the messages encouraged Nabeel immensely. So let’s be thankful for that. Did Nabeel ever condemn those who said it? No! In fact he was crying over the lack of faith from many Christians. If I was sick or troubled I would want to hear that God is going to heal me; until my last breath.

If it is of any encouragement to anyone, God saved my life one Saturday before Nabeel passed away (9/8/2017). I had 5-artery bypass open heart surgery (CABG) and perhaps because of some mistake by the surgeon, I kept bleeding for 18 hours. I spoke with the other surgeon and asked him to open me up again – they did and found an arterial bleeder and cauterized it. Although not a miracle, God protected my life even through mistakes by the chief surgeon. Psalm 91:3 came true for me. “For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.”

This was beautifully written. It’s like u spoke what was in my heart. I am struggling so much to understand Gods plan. Everytime I would pray for Nabeel in my heart I believed “God will heal him so miraculously that every muslim will see who the true God is, there is no way this sickness has been given to him but for fulfilling God’s purpose ” I knew it so strongly that this was a testimony in the making. When I heard this news on 16th everything inside me shattered, I have never grieved somone so much. It’s been a week and I havent stopped thinking or talking about Nabeel. Going through all his videos and vlogs again to be honest I am upset with God. The passion he had for the truth and his heart towards people makes me wonder why God would take him away so soon and give some Muslims a chance to turn around and say “u left Islam and allah cursed you( alot of comments on social media )
I don’t understand, I grieve like he was my family. I pray God puts all our hearts at ease and help us to understand.

If your faith is in any way dependent on the outcome of this guy – or any other sick Christian – then you’ve been building a Christian walk on very shaky foundations.

Let’s get some perspective here. Nabeel died – cos he was a Casualty Of War. Plain and simple.

In case no-one has noticed, there was war in heaven, and the devil – a fallen arch-angel – along with a third of the angels, now makes war with us, the offspring of Jesus (Revelation 12:7 through, especially verse 17).

And the first part of John 10:10 tells us he doesn’t take POWs. There’s nothing nice about this guy. He drops spiritual grenades where he can. He’s planted spiritual land mines everywhere. And he’s furious with us cos he knows he only has a short time left (verse 12). He’s out to get Christians.

One day you will be on your deathbed; what will you say in your last breath? “Forget it kids, it’s a disappointment”? Or “I don’t understand why his has happened to me/us.”, cos maybe, despite buckets of prayer, you’re really sick and leaving many loved ones behind?

Or will you say this: “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”

These are Paul’s words to Timothy (2 Timothy 1:12 KJV). Paul had every reason to have “damaged faith” – beaten, in prison, stoned and left to die, robbed, betrayed by false believers, shipwrecked etc, (2 Cor 11:23-28) Phew!

Yet he rejoiced.

If Nabeel was a true believer, then he is ecstatically happy right now, “in the bosom of Jesus”. And you should all be happy for him too! Hallelujah! He’s made it!

But, please, it was NOT God’s will for Nabeel to die of cancer last week. Don’t anyone put any of this on Him!

Friendly reminder: God sent his beloved Son, the essence of who He is, to pay the redeeming price for us, so it could be said “It is finished” – to us and for us.

How Jesus yearned for the Spirit to be available through His death and resurrection (Luke 12:50), how He grieved over our unbelief (John 11:33), and how He sweated the blood of anguish (Luke 22:44) to accomplish for us what we could not do ourselves, and to take back what the devil had stolen. THANK YOU JESUS for showing us the way through! THANK YOU for sending your Spirit of Truth to guide us through troubled waters! Wow, the victory is ours! We have WON! John 10:10 – the other half!

But we’re not there yet – we’re still at war with the kingdom of darkness. And our commission is to carry on the same fight against the kingdom of darkness that Jesus began while He was on earth. He led the way. He showed us how.

It’s frontline work. The kingdom of God vs the kingdom of darkness. Sometimes the kingdom of God prevails and we win. Sometimes we don’t. There’s casualties. GOOD soldiers die on the battlefield. REALLY GOOD soldiers die on the battlefield. Fighting “the good fight of faith”.

God didn’t take Nabeel. The devil did. Why would God take Him? Jesus came to bring life, not death. It doesn’t make sense. They need everyone they can get. It’s the other guy who’s big trouble! The one no-one has mentioned so far! He’s likened to a roaring lion, stalking people; devouring them (1 Peter 5:8). He’s looking for trouble. Read Revelation 12 again.

Did Nabeel have a wife? Did he leave a child? Friends? Sure, I feel for them; but it sounds like he won many, many battles on so many other fronts – so let’s applaud his victories for advancing the kingdom of God amongst Muslims.

I think Rodney Howard-Browne had the right attitude when the devil took his daughter. He was all the more determined to do the Lord’s work and now runs massive campaigns worldwide. He’s relentless!

Maybe I or one of my family will become a Casualty of War too. But I’m still not budging.

I’m a dad with 5 teenage sons, and I’m bringing them up as Christian warriors, not wimps. Lots of instruction, wisdom and direction.

So we go through lots of apologetics (terrible name, isn’t it?). That’s how we know about Natasha. And Frank Turek, and Kent Hovind, J Warner Wallace, Jonathan Wells, Curry Blake, Torban Sondergaard etc etc etc. This is what I tell them. They love it. It builds their confidence.

Amazingly, though, it’s at the Christian school they attend that they encounter the real flack and faithlessness. One of my sons was reported for “pushing his own religion” cos he showed some girls in his class some scriptures they didn’t know (and like). It’s heavy going for them. These are their heaviest critics, not their “worldly” friends.

I notice that there were only ever 2 situations that hindered Jesus power to heal – unbelief (Matthew 13:58, Mark 6:6) and the traditions of men (Matthew 15:6, Mark 7:13).

These stopped Jesus dead in His tracks. And it’s no different today. People everywhere are calling themselves Christians, prophets, seers and healers. Labels. It’s so easy to do that.

So it was refreshing to read one person’s positive comment (Erik) about the man at church with a heart condition. Erik says “His symptoms persisted, but he persisted even more and refused to to be moved by what he felt. He was determined that it was done.”. And he was healed. Thank you for that! I like that. That’s how we think!

A couple of years ago my wife Karen developed what is an all too common problem with many women as they get older. She suddenly became lethargic and it got worse. Much worse. She spent hours lying down and sleeping, with a terrible lack of concentration affecting her decision making at every level. Pretty tricky with 5 sons and a demanding husband (LOL).

Turns out she had a low red blood cell count (Anemia).

This was 2 years ago. Once we realised what was happening, we used the authority we have in Jesus name and operated the prayer of faith over her. It persisted but we persisted more, especially each month. And she was healed.

We stood on the word, which is the sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17-18).

The devil is now challenging us again over the same thing. We can tell it’s trying to come back (doctor has confirmed a low red blood cell count). So we’re ready. We’re rallying the troops together (we always include our boys) and we’re persisting! And we already notice we’re having a lot easier victory this time round!

If you’ve read this far, thank you. Two other points I feel I must make.

The prayer of faith is the prayer of faith. If two can’t get through, 10,000 won’t; more people praying isn’t going to work better – that’s carnal thinking.

The sad truth is all Nabeel needed was ONE person with faith. And it sounded like his own faith was working for him – until everyone else kept chipping in. Grrrr.

So as for the many “seers” who apparently prophesied he was going to be healed, I offer this strong advice to you. If you ever hear anyone within earshot say “I know you are going to be healed”, you need to turn right round quickly and run from them as fast as you can.

(If you’re saying “I’m gonna be healed, I know it” – stop! This statement has got to be the biggest declaration of unbelief there is. If you talking like this, back off fast, and claim these kinds of scriptures for yourself: 1 Peter 2:24b, Romans 8:11 and Jude 20, Eph 6:18.)

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you God wasn’t all that happy with Job’s attitude, especially at first. But He sure tore strips off his “advisors”!
You don’t need advisors. They’re full of unbelief and the traditions of men. (Ouch! Did I really write that?)

Ok. Rephrase.

If you have the Spirit, you have everything you need to win. You have the whole armour of God (Ephesians 6:13-18) and you have the love of God deep within you (Romans 5:5). Go out and fight for the kingdom of God. But expect casualties and don’t be “soon shaken” just because things don’t go the way YOU planned them (the point of 2 Thess 2:2 and James 1:6). Stand strong (Eph 6:13)

If you want more faith, more power, more victories – persist and resist. Don’t give up before the devil does! And don’t get advice. If you’re Spirit-filled, seek the Spirit’s advice – he will lead you into all truth (John 16:13). That’s His PROMISE to you! So LISTEN!

If you’re not Spirit-filled, seek out a group of people who have the Spirit and get prayed over. Take Acts 1:5 and 8 to heart. Forget the “sinner’s prayer” stuff. Copy Peter’s dramatic transformation from wimp to warrior instead (compare Peter in Luke 22:61 with the Peter after he had received the promised Spirit in Acts 2:16-39). Do it.

I’m normally very, very happy to stay in the background and not ever make comment, but the Spirit has strongly compelled me (despite my reluctance) to contribute on this occasion.

“No eyes has seen, and no ears have heard, and no mind has imagined the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” 1 Cor 2:9 (New Heart English Bible)

I would like to comment on the following :-

1. It was NOT because there was a lack of faith in Christ that Nabeel was not healed. God is sovereign.

2. While we all know that it is SIN OF MANKIND that is ultimately the cause for all diseases and physical death, when we die is determined by The Lord and not by Satan and his underlyings.

3. Our faith in The Lord need to rise to the level that we can say like Job, “Though He slay me, yet will l trust Him” (Job 13:15). Or like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18)
The heroes of faith in Hebrew 11 include those who died and were never delivered.

Thank you Natasha, for a great article and to all who posted replies, it is all good information on so many aspects that are helpful to me. I finished most of Nabbel’s books shortly before his cancer diagnosis and watched each of his v-logs. For the past several years I’ve been virtually attending Mac Hammond’s church and studying teachings from he and his guest teachers such as Kenneth Copeland and Andrew Wommack – those who preach that healing is God’s will and if you are not healed on earth of your disease, it is due to your lack of faith–so I was more than surprised that Nabeel died. After the death of a loved one from cancer, and now Nabeel, I realize that I have been following wrong teachings. As I sift through my beliefs and test their source, I know I love and believe in Jesus Christ and continue to read my bible daily and pray, while seeking a new church environment. Much said in these posts validate for me and bring comfort that others struggle as I do with the same issues.

I especially agree that “Next time you or a loved one has a serious illness, will you pray for their “ultimate healing”? I don’t think so.” and I have questions, not about why didn’t God heal Nabeel, but about what would you say to yourself
-if you received Nabeel’s diagnosis?
-If you fought through the pain of treatment only to be confronted with a hurricane? possible death by flooding or starvation due to lack of feeding tube nutrients? Safe evacuation to a hospital only to be placed on palliative care?
-If I stand in Michelle Quershi’s shoes after publicly announcing that God told me He would heal my husband-what do I say to myself now? My children? Jesus?
-What would you say to your child or spouse or loved one if something like this occurred?

For this of us still here on earth, what would you do if……as I am floundering a bit

As I continue to pray and ask the same questions of Jesus; how do I do this thing today Lord in ways that honor You? This enacting kind interactions with forced on me encounters with my abusers; not taking revenge but forgiving them, aligning my will with Yours, asking You to be my avenger, as I try to keep a positive face and words and actions with a loved one who is slowly passing away; my focus continues to be: I love You Lord, I believe in You, I have a gap between what I believe, and how to enact it when it comes to the moment by moment living the encounters of daily life….I came across the following this morning and guess the answers to my questions is to ask God to make my little seed of faith – big:

Hazem Farraj appeared in a Facebook video on Thursday during which he revealed a conversation he had with Qureshi’s widow, Michelle, at her husband’s funeral — a simple exchange that left him in awe.

“I was paying my respects to Michelle, his widow, and I said to her, ‘Keep going. I’m so sorry for her loss. You’ve got to keep going,’” Farraj recounted in a Facebook video. “You know what she said to me? She said, ‘God has not changed.”

This four-word proclamation made quite an impression on Farraj, as he saw that, despite Michelle’s pain, she was still clinging to God even in her toughest moment. Her perseverance is clearly a lesson to us all — and Farraj agreed. “That’s called faith,” he said

I’m an evangelical Christian with bachelor and masters degrees in theological disciplines, and have read literal hundreds of Christians books, magazines and articles and have never heard of Mr. Qureshi until he died. So I don’t know anything at all about him.

But, I can answer your question… simply put, everybody dies. Period. The Bible tells us that we are not guaranteed tomorrow. The rain falls on the righteous and the unrighteous equally. Sickness/accidents happen to everyone, making some die sooner – some die later.

I have known good Christians, who weren’t famous, who died at a young age (and I bet you do also). I have known bad Christians, who weren’t famous, who died at an old age (and I bet you do also). We die when we die and God does not stop it.

Yes, it is sad to see a loved one dies, but we need to understand that God really doesn’t interfere with when death happens. He allows us to to be subject to the consequences of out rebellion. When Adam sinned, Mother Nature became angry and we all must abide her wrath. God may occasionally step in (as with biblical miracles), but mostly He doesn’t.

If God let the length of our lives here on earth be determined according to our Christian testimony, then why are there so many fake Christian wolves-in-sheep’s-clothing spewing their rotten views on TV every day who are old and gray?

Today, because of the Holy Spirit and the Bible, no one person is NEEDED by God for anything. If God wants something done, it’ll get done no matter who dies when.

So, the reason Mr. Qureshi died is because that is what people do… we die.

Natasha, there is a time to grieve, it’s good that you are grieving, like countless thousands, I am one of those who was praying for Nabeel throughout his battle against cancer and am mourning over this immensely unique and inspirational man of God, a gift to the world.

I miss Nabeel, can’t bear thinking of his precious daughter who may not even remember ever being with her daddy, but right now, must be thinking why her daddy is not around, where has he gone and that is painful!
Nabeel made the most of his short life, He lived quality.

With regards to God answering our prayers, His faithfulness shouldn’t be based on our experiences, but His Word!
Nabeel lost a battle but won the war!
God heals today, He answers prayers. Nabeel hoped to be healed, He never proclaimed God will heal him, and there is a huge difference in hoping and believing it will happen.
Majority of Christians were trying to find if it was God’s will to heal Nabeel, when scriptural evidence is that JESUS healed and came to destroy the works of Satan, He even commanded the disciples to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead.

JESUS couldn’t do miracles because of unbelief, remember?
I may be putting myself in the line of fire by saying all this but just like you have shared your genuine feelings, I want to share my thoughts and belief.

I don’t believe I would grieve over my own brother’s death to the degree I am grieving over Nabeel’s but I do wonder if results had been different had Nabeel taken on board the advice of countless supporters about boosting his immune system by organic, vegan diet, if he still wanted to take the conventional treatment route, which killed him. Cancer happens because of compromised immune system, chemotherapy compromised it even more.

Healthy diet bursting with antioxidants could have healed Nabeel but he made a choice to trust poisonous treatment.

JESUS appeared to Nabeel, giving him two words ‘sponge’, ‘baby’, sponge cleanses, absorbs dirt and in this case, Nabeel’s system needed to be detoxified, instead he allowed doctors to pump his body with more toxins and chemicals. Had he started to juice vegetables, foods that attack cancerous cells only, even along with chemotherapy, He could have coped with and recovered.

I continued to upload testimonials of people with advanced stage of cancers who conquered cancer, only by organic food, b17 etc. I wasn’t the only person doing this Unfortunately Nabeel didn’t take that route.

Lastly, supernatural healing requires one to surpass their carnal 5 senses, and I say with all due respect and love, apologists tend to be more carnal than spiritual, when it comes to moving in the supernatural.

Yes there were fasts done for Nabeel but what were the prayers like, ‘LORD if it is Your will ..’ I don’t believe we need to find out God’s will about obvious things, JESUS healed the sick, hated sickness, He heals and hates sickness even today.

We must remember not to ignore our personal choices and the Enemy that is always prowling around, to devour.

I see God’s intervention in small things and big trails of life, God heals today, He is interested in every detail of our life.

We as a family went through the biggest painful trial or attack of our life, almost at the same time as Nabeel’s trial started, in fact ours a few months earlier, but we didn’t once ask God to grant us victory if it was His will! We knew it was, from the evidence in the Gospels and the Word of God, so we proclaimed victory. It was a long painful fight and in August this year, we had the Victory, only because of God’s faithfulness and answering our prayers that were full of confidence, contrary to our circumstances and even what our carnal mind was trying to dictate, we put our minds on the shelf, only moved in the mind of the spirit, on the Word of God and here I am to humbly tell you, we saw what we believed.

I sincerely pray that you all will find my writing a sincere effort to make you see, it wasn’t only up to God that Nabeel didn’t get healed.

There are other factors that must be taken into account, Nabeel’s personal decision about his treatment, His Faith was God can heal but I never heard him say he knew God will, I would like to add here, HEALING has been provided, we need only to approach it, and believe, and it will manifest.
Lastly, the amount of unbelief amongst his supporters on his Facebook, the division, definitely didn’t create an atmosphere where blessing is commanded or HEALING can manifest.

JESUS clearly told us that it is the devil who comes to kill, steal and destroy, why then we needed to ask God if He wanted Nabeel healed? Why ask for something that belongs to us, HEALING?
Why would God want Nabeel with Him, when his daughter needed him, His wife needed him? Why would he die at 34, and I know many other men of God died young (but that doesn’t make it right). God’s Word clearly tells us the minimum age of a believer should be 70!
I have cried buckets over the past years, but dear readers, it’s not God’s fault, please don’t let Nabeel’s untimely death to hinder your belief in healing or God answering your prayers.

In our painful battle, many many times it felt like our prayers weren’t being answered, but that was the time when we ignored our circumstances, facts and thanked God for hearing our prayers and declared victory.

In a laboratory the only time the result is contrary to what it must be, is when somewhere in the process something goes wrong, by someone or something.

Having said all this, our Home and final destination is Heaven, praise God, Nabeel got saved, lived a quality life, left a rich legacy and although departed too soon, He is in Heaven, He didn’t waiver in His Faith in Jesus, loved Him to the end.

Nabeel was and is a hero, an inspiration and his legacy lives on, just like he lives on, in Heaven.

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[…] I don’t know. I simply do not know the answer to this question, nor can I fathom what it might be. But I was heartbroken when I learned that Nabeel succumbed to cancer this weekend at age 34, leaving behind his wife and young daughter. My tears just kept coming after the news, even though I never had the opportunity to meet him personally. For those who haven’t followed his story, Nabeel Qureshi was a Muslim-turned-Christian Apologist who authored the best-selling books Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity, Answering Jihad: A Better Way Forward, and No God But One: Allah or Jesus? A Former Muslim Investigates the Evidence for Islam and Christianity. Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus tells the incredible story of Nabeel’s journey to Christ through an extraordinary set of investigations, dreams and visions. After committing to Jesus, Nabeel became a Christian apologist and spent the rest of his life writing and speaking, with a heart for bringing light to the Muslim world. When you read his story, it is amazingly clear that God chose him for this important role. But that clarity was also the reason so many people were shocked when he was diagnosed last year with stage 4 stomach cancer, which has a 5-year survival rate of 4 percent. The obvious question everyone wanted to ask was, “Why would God so clearly raise someone up with such an extraordinary testimony, only to let him die at this young age?” Instead of accepting the grim outlook, however, Nabeel made it clear that he was not giving up. He started filming regular videos to document his treatment and reflect on faith during a difficult time. He prayed fervently for healing and strongly believed that healing would come, for the glory of God. Tens of thousands of people prayed for him and fasted over the months of his treatment. He attended healing services. In his videos, he recounted many experiences with people who told him they “heard a word” from God and that they knew he would be healed. On his Facebook page, thousands of people commented every time he posted a new video, and many of the comments were from people who said they, too, “knew” he was going to be healed. I, like so many others, anxiously awaited each video in the hope of a miracle. After all, that same question from when he was diagnosed sat firmly planted in the back of my mind: Why would God so clearly raise someone up with such an extraordinary testimony, only to let him die at this young age? Surely, this must be for the glory of God so He can perform a miracle and demonstrate to the Muslim world that Christianity is true! But on Saturday, Nabeel died. When Your Faith is Wounded Many people have shared beautiful tributes to Nabeel’s life, and my Facebook feed is overflowing with posts proclaiming that Nabeel received ultimate healing. They are celebrating his life, and there is much to celebrate. But I’m still crying. To be honest, it’s a very complex mess of tears. continue reading To read the rest, click here! […]